EU chief von der Leyen proposes ‘associate member’ status for Canada

Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this week that Canada was seeking a ‘unique alliance’ with the European Union.Published On 16 Sep 202616 Sep 2026European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has raised the prospect of Canada becoming the 27-nation European Union’s first “associate member”, a striking overture as both seek to pivot away from a hostile United States under President Donald Trump.Von der Leyen’s statement on Wednesday came after Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this week that Canada was seeking a “unique alliance” with the EU, but not membership.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Europe, Canada condemn Israeli plans for new West Bank settlementlist 2 of 3Five key takeaways from the NATO summit in Ankaralist 3 of 3‘A global rupture’: Carney calls for Canada-EU unity before G7 summitend of listVon der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that, as democracies are facing a “fracture in the international rules-based system”, Brussels and Ottawa needed to pull closer together.“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,” von der Leyen told Carney, who was attending her ann...